


By Action Rather Than Words

by isnt_that_wizard



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Bisexual Alexander Hamilton, F/F, F/M, I don't know I'm trash, I kinda suck at updating so I apologize now, M/M, Most of the characters are barely in it, Other, Pre-Established Relationship, The Hercules/Lafayette pairing is mostly just strongly implied, lots of flashbacks, non-binary Lafayette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-08-08 04:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7743379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the morning of John Laurens' 2 year anniversary with his boyfriend, he wants nothing more than to leave the hospital at which he works and go home. However, things don't exactly go as planned when the last patient John sees before he leaves is his boyfriend, Alexander Hamilton.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

John paced the white room, the only sound his footsteps and the rhythmic beeping. John rubbed his hands together, doing nothing to stop the tears welling up in his eyes. John couldn't make himself look up from the shiny tile floor, knowing that if he did, his tears would fall. His breaths were slow and deep; he was trying to calm himself down. 

John had no idea how long he’d stood here pacing, or how long he’d been here at all. All he did know was that he had no intention of leaving. He couldn’t. Hundreds of thoughts floated through John’s, all worse than the one before. John was frozen as one particular, horrible thought crossed his mind. He tried thinking of anything else to get it out, but nothing worked. His breathing became more difficult. 

As one hot tear fell from John’s eye and down his face, he slowly forced himself to look up from the floor. It took everything he had to look at that bed, so different from when he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. John had to look at that dreaded hospital bed. He had to reassure himself that he was still there. To make sure that Alexander was still alive.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

**24 HOURS EARLIER**

* * *

~~****~~

As Alexander woke, he tried to ignore the sunlight shining through the curtains. He rolled himself away from the window in an attempt to let the warmth of the bed lull him back to slumber. It didn’t work, however, when Alexander found that the normally occupied space next to him on the bed was empty. Letting out a yawn, he reached up, pushing his long black hair away from his face and rubbing his eyes as he opened them.

  Looking around the dimly lit room, Alexander found himself alone. Groaning sleepily, he sat up slowly and reluctantly. Alexander pushed himself off the comfortable bed and into a standing position. Not yet fully awake, he pulled a pair of gray sweatpants off the ground and put them on over his boxers. Walking to the closet, he grabbed the first shirt he found and pulled it on. 

  Alexander was now mostly awake, but still lazily made his way out of the bedroom, following the short hallway into the kitchen. From the hall, the smell of a cooking breakfast was strong, even more so as he walked into the kitchen. The sight Alexander was met with was enough to make his entire morning great. A small smile appeared on his face.

  “Good morning, John,” Alexander said quietly as he watched his boyfriend stand in front of their small stove, flipping pancakes and whistling a tune. The whistling stopped, however, as the sound of Alexander’s voice filled John’s ears. 

  “Morning,” John replied, returning the smile he was receiving. John set down his spatula, which was slightly burned due to one of Alex’s failed attempts at cooking, and turned off the stove. John walked to Alexander, who was now leaning against the wall next to their refrigerator. He dipped to kiss Alex, who ran his hand through John’s dark, long, untamed curls. The kiss was short lived, and Alex took a step away from John, going to sit at their small, wooden kitchen table.

  “What’s all this about?” Alexander asked as John went to put pancakes onto plates.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Since when do you make breakfast? And since when do you wake up before me? I thought I set an alarm.”

  “I couldn’t sleep very well last night, and I shut your alarm off before it went off. You could use more than 5 hours of sleep. As for breakfast, I figured we should have something that wasn’t cereal of fruit for once.”

As John sat down across from Alexander, he put down two plates of pancakes. Alex smiled at him in thanks. The two both ate silently, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Alexander glanced up from his plate to look at John. After dating him for so long, the sight of John's cheeks slightly red and his hair messy from sleep shouldn't make Alex weak in the knees, but it did.

Alexander never saw himself in the domestic lifestyle. He used to frown upon it. Work was what mattered to him. Making a place in the world. Learning more, talking, presenting his views to the world. 

Alexander spent majority of his time shutting out other people, and over working himself so much that he rarely glanced at anyone. He had no time for a relationship. Then, even though it was something you'd only hear about in fairy tales, Alexander's world turned upside down. 

John Laurens entered Alexander's life and for once in all his years of life, Alexander Hamilton didn't know what to say. Alex is too self-righteous to ever admit it, but he was too nervous to ask out John Laurens. 

The two danced around each other for a year, and in the end, it was John who asked Alexander on a date. No one but the two knew the real story, though, as Alexander would never admit to being nervous, and John never bothered to say anything on the subject.

Here they were, two years later, in their cute little apartment in Manhattan. It was Alexander who picked out their home, and John loved it when he saw it. They made the decision to move in together 9 months after they began dating.

"I work the night shift," John said, breaking the silence as he referred to his job as a doctor for Amanda Hospital.

"That's not unusual, John."

"I know, Alexander. I'll try to get off early in the morning, so it doesn't screw up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow?"

John looked to his boyfriend's confused face. Hurt filled John's dark chocolate eyes as he stumbled through his thoughts. 

"Alexander, I- How could- Why- " He cut off when an evil smile spread across Alexander's face. He hadn't forgotten at all. He was just being an ass.

John's eyebrows creased together to form a glare that he projected at his boyfriend. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying, "You know, sometimes I have no idea why I'm dating you. You are such a dick."

"John, come on, did you honestly think I'd forgotten our 2 year anniversary? Washington immediately gave me the day off from work the first time I mentioned it. I didn't even have to ask. Not to mention, I have Lafayette bringing it up every time we talk."

Alexander still had a small smile on his face, quietly laughing at the angry look on John's face. 

"I was just joking with you, John. I've been picking up extra shifts at work to make up for being gone tomorrow. I made plans for tomorrow evening, too."

John raised an eyebrow and shock seeped into his voice as he asked, "You made plans?"

He received a nod in return and a quiet reply that Alexander would not be telling him what they were, as they were a surprise. John's anger melted away slowly. It was rare for the two to do anything special, and even more rare if it was Alexander who made the plans.

Their anniversary the past year had been spent in their apartment, boxes that they still had yet to unpack everywhere, eating a delivery pizza and microwaved ramen as they watched a movie. Neither felt the need to make a big deal out of their relationship.

They knew how the felt about each other, even though they rarely said it out loud. They didn't need big romantic gestures, but simply the company of each other.

With another smile to John, Alex stood, taking his dishes and setting them by the sink. John knew he was getting up to get ready for work. As he past John, Alexander squeezed John's arm saying, "Thanks for breakfast, babe."

John walked Alexander leave the room, down the hall and into the bathroom. He heard the familiar sound of the shower soon after. Alexander Hamilton worked at Washington Law firm, practically as the right hand man of the owner, George Washington. It was one of the best known law firms in New York City.

The lawyer and the doctor could easily afford to live in a better place than their small apartment, but they loved it. Rent was cheap, and the building was a nice place. To Alexander, who had lived in shabby houses in the Caribbean until age 18, it was luxury. 

When Alexander came back to the kitchen an hour later, he was dressed in an old, slightly falling apart suit that still looked nice on him. John had been meaning to give the suit to their friend, Hercules, so he could fix it up.

Currently, John was elbows deep in soapy water, a rack of drying dishes next to their sink. Alexander scoffed just slightly.

"John, what exactly do you have against using our diswasher?"

"What do you have against using the washing machine and dryer?" John retorted, making Alex laugh.

"Touché, John Laurens. I'm heading out. I'll see you tomorrow, babe."

John felt Alexander's lips brush his cheek just slightly and he mumbled a goodbye to him. John didn't bother mentioning that if Alexander left now, he'd be two hours early, because Alexander always was. 

As the apartment door shut and locked, John put the last dish on the drying rack. Even though John knew that he should sleep before working a night shift, John had made lunch plans. 

Around 12:45 he was set to meet with his and Alex's friends, Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan. John glanced to the digital clock on their stove, sighing as he saw that it was only 9:36.

He would have to find a way to busy himself from now until then. John set down the towel he'd used to dry his hands and walked away from their silver farm sink and out of the small, beige colored kitchen. He started making his way to the hall, when he tripped.

John caught himself on the charcoal gray wall, shaking the picture frames littering their hallway. As he pushed himself upright, he looked down to see what had caused his near fall. He saw what he recognized as his and Alex's t-shirts. Looking down the hallway, he saw stray articles of clothing leading all the way to the bedroom.

John shyly smiled to himself, thinking of Alex and the past night. He bent down, beginning to gather the clothing. As he gripped Alexander's navy blue button down, he heard someone whistle behind him.

He quickly stood straight and whipped around to see Hercules Mulligan smirking at him, no shame in his eyes. John felt a blush explode throughout his cheeks.

"Wild night, I see," Hercules said casually. 

"I will forever regret the day Alexander and I decide to give you and Laf a key to this apartment."

Hercules just laughed, moving past John to help clear up the hallway. Hercules Mulligan was a large, muscled man who you'd often find wearing a bandanna. He made crude jokes and could easily beat the shit out of you, but he was the mother hen of their friend group. Past the tough exterior, he was a really sweet guy.

"What are you doing here, Herc? Lunch isn't for a few hours?"

"If I have to listen Lafayette sing Lady Gaga while putting on their makeup one more time, I'm gonna go nuts, dude."

John and Alexander's friend, Lafayette, was non-binary. They were from France, and born male, but started identifying as non-binary at age 15. They immigrated to the United States when they were 19, soon after meeting John and Hercules, and later Alexander. 

Lafayette and Hercules moved in together 7 months ago so they could both save money on rent. Alex and John suspected that Laf had an ulterior motive for asking Herc to move in, that being that they where completely in love with Hercules. 

"So you made the decision to come over hours early because Lafayette was annoying you? I'm not even dressed, Herc." 

Hercules shrugged, saying, "I've known you since freshman year of college, dude. After sharing a room with you, seeing you in shorts and a tank isn't a big deal. And if you lived with 'Born This Way' blasting every morning, you'd do the same." 

John rolled his eyes, but knew his friend was right. 

"Laf doesn't know I left. I didn't want to interrupt them because last time I did, I got a mascara brush in the eye. Didn't see right for a week." 

John couldn't help but laugh at the mental image that came into his head. Hercules hit him with Alexander's pants, mumbling how it wasn't funny. 

John hit Hercules back with a black sock before saying, "You should probably call or they'll be done and then freak because you're gone." 

Hercules nodded, shoving the clothes in John's arms. "I'm scared about what I'll find in the bedroom, so you can go clean up the mess in there." 

John glared at the implications, playfully shoving Herc into the wall. "Go call Lafayette before they freak out about their missing boyfriend and cry while hugging your sewing machine." 

"I am not dating Lafayette, John Laurens!" 

"You wish you were," John mumbled, entering the bedroom and emptying his arms into the laundry basket by the door. 

Lafayette was a very dramatic and emotional human being. Beware of making them mad, because if you do, you will get an earful of French shouted in your ear, and Alexander was the only one who ever understood it. 

One thing they got particularly emotional about was someone leaving without telling them. The last time Herc left without saying anything, Alex had to restrain them from calling the police to send out a search party. It turned out that Hercules had just gone to the Schuyler's to hem a dress for their friend, Peggy. 

No one but Hercules knew why Lafayette freaked out so badly about something like that. John and everyone else were pretty sure that it was because of something that happened in France. 

John could hear Herc talking softly into the phone as he picked up loose papers off the hardwood floor. He didn't even need to look at them to know that they belonged to Alexander. He put them on his boyfriend's complete mess of a desk that he had insisted went in their bedroom. 

John had heard, even though Alex probably hadn't wanted him to, Alexander mumbling to himself about his reasons. He had wanted the desk in the bedroom because that way he could work late, or if he woke up in the night and wanted to work, and still be close to John. 

It had taken everything he had to not kiss Alexander on the spot. Looking at the desk, John shook his head. How Alex managed to ever find anything was beyond John. He didn't spend too much time thinking about it, however. 

After 3 years, John had accepted that Alexander Hamilton was messy, worked non-stop, sometimes forgot to eat or sleep, worried him sick when he forgot to reply to John's texts, zoned out all the time, and could be a major pain in the ass. Even though these things annoyed the he'll out of John, he loved Alexander with everything he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the official first chapter of By Action Rather Than Words! This end note is pretty useless, but I'm doing it anyway. In future ones, I'll put translations of French and maybe a quick little message. Thanks to anyone who took time to read this story!


	3. A Change Of Plans

To say that John Laurens was stressed out was an understatement. He loved his job, but working nights was hell. After the night he'd gone through, lunch with his friends seemed like it was years ago.

As he glanced to the clock above the receptionist, he was relieved to see that the time was 5:30. Only half an hour left of his 9 hour shift. Only half an hour before he could go home to Alexander. John smiled at the fact that it was now his and Alexander's anniversary.

John leaned against the desk, filling out paper work for a 19 year old who'd come in about an hour ago, drunk, his arm broken. Out of the corner of his eye, John saw a familiar figure dressed in yellow scrubs.

"Peggy!" John called after her. Peggy Schuyler, and her two sisters, Angelica and Eliza, were close friends of John and the rest. Peggy worked as a nurse in the cancer ward and was the sweetest girl any patient had ever met.

She was the opposite of Hercules. An angel most of the time, but could tear you to shreds with only a few words. As she heard her name, she turned, flashing John her gorgeous smile.

"Hey, John! Happy anniversary to you and Alexander!"

"Thanks, Pegs. But I could use your advice."

"All right. shoot."

"Alex and I never do anything special and I suck at romance. I know he made us dinner plans, and I just want to do something nice for him, but I'm completely clueless. I thought that you might have some sort of idea that would work. I want to make him happy."

Peggy's smile grew wider, even though John didn't think it possible. "That's so sweet, John," she said, her eyes sparkling, telling him that she was mulling it over. "I have an idea. It's a little cheesy, but I think Alexander would like it. Flowers." 

"Flowers?"

Peggy hummed, "He stops by to help Eliza with her flowers after work sometimes. He loves the tulips. Eliza started making sure she always had them." 

John smiled softly at Peggy's words. Tulips would be perfect; John was willing to make a short stop to buy them before going home. He thanked Peggy, and she gave him a quick hug. The pair said their goodbyes and Peggy left. 

.John turned back to the desk, where his clipboard and paperwork sat, waiting for him to finish it. John desperately wanted to rush through it and go home to Alexander, but he knew he couldn't. John groaned as he picked up his pen. 

"Last one of the shift?" asked the man sitting behind the desk, Michael. John nodded with as much of a smile he could muster. It didn't take his long to finish; there wasn't too much to say. 

The kid was drunk, stupid, and screwing around in a junk yard with his friends. When John was done, he made a dramatic showing of putting done his pen, causing Michael to laugh and applaud him. John smiled to him, handing Michael the clipboard. 

He gave a sigh of relief; no more patients, no more paperwork, no more medicines, no more work. John reached up, releasing his curly hair from it's bun. He ran his hand through the tangled mess as he moved down the hallway to get get his things before clocking out.

Just as he was about to turn into the staff room, John heard his name being called from the opposite end of the hall.

"Dr. Laurens! John!" John turned to the young nurse running towards him, who was completely out of breath when they reached him. 

"Abby? What is it?" John asked the young woman who had become his friend in the year she'd been working her.

"I need you to come with me. Right now."

"I was just about to leave, Abigail. It's my anniversary, and I told Al-"

"It's important, Laurens. I wouldn't bug you if it wasn't."

John slowly nodded. He couldn't read the look in Abby's face. He slowly, reluctantly took his hand off the staff room doorknob. With the slightest sigh, he said, "All right. What do you need, Abby?" 

Abigail Adams opened her mouth to talk, but closed it again, looking down to the tile floor. As if she couldn't make herself look at John, she silently gestured for John to follow her. A confused John followed her. 

"What's going on?" 

He received no answer. The entire walk, it stayed the same. If John asked a question, Abby would remain silent. It must have been about 4 minutes before the two stopped outside a closed hospital room.

  " _Abby._ What the hell is going on? Why are we here?"

Finally looking at John, Abigail took a nervous, shaky breath. She glanced to the closed door for a second before speaking. 

"Um, a-around, 3 this morning, we, uh, we. . . we got a 911 call. Some girl. She said that she was walking home from a club when she saw a man passed out in an alleyway, barely breathing. 

"Beaten to a pulp was how she described him. They sent out an ambulance and were going to call his emergency contact, but his phone was missing. It looked like he'd been out there since midnight, and unconscious for most of it. 

"He got here around 4. Because they didn't know who to call, and they didn't try to find someone either."

John started at her, a confused glare on his face. Abby once again refused to look at him. 

"Why are you telling me all this?" John asked in a whisper. 

"I, um, I th-think you should go in. And I'm sorry, John." 

Still confused, John was hesitant as he gripped the cool metal door handle. He tore his eyes away from Abby as he turned the handle, entering the shiny clean hospital room. He heard the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and saw the IV bags. Nothing unusual. 

It was when John looked to the main laying in that awful hospital gone, on that uncomfortable bed that he began falling apart. Every muscle in his body was tense. His throat felt like it was on fire, as if he were choking on every word in the English language.

Somewhere in his mind, he was aware of Abigail standing next to him, but John couldn't see or hear her at the moment. Every ounce of his being was focused on the purple and blue bruises littering the face of the man in the bed.

Even asleep, he looked to be in pain. His normal silky black hair was speckled with bits of dirt and gravel. John found his own breathing to be labored and difficult. The only sound John processed was a heartbeat.

He didn't know who's it was. Was it John's or his? The sound was pounding in his ears. John vaguely felt himself gripping onto the door for support. 

John had no idea how long he'd stood there. Mere seconds? Minutes? It could have been an hour for all he knew. Keeping his eyes trained on the bed, John willed himself to take a step. Closer to the bed. Closer to him. 

Another step. Another. Two steps. He froze. A small step. A bigger one. One last step. 

John now stood directly next to the bed, almost too scared to reach out and touch him. John took a shaky breath, hesitant as he slowly lifted his hand. He stopped, holding his hand in mid air. Slower than he'd ever done anything, John lowered his hand on top of the limp one on the bed. 

He fit his hand into the familiar space, as he'd done so many times before. Without full recognition of what he was doing, John asked, "Who did this to him?"

"They, well, um, they don't know. There was lots of blood around and um, lots of gay slurs spray painted around the alley."

John found it difficult to form his words. It was like he was crying, yet no tears were in his eyes. 

"He was gay bashed," John choked out.

"Yes. The owner of the restaurant he was found by said that she'd heard yelling outside her store. She was so busy that she didn't go out to check what was happening. They beat him, and they must've had a knife. There's cuts all over his body." 

"Will he. . . Is he going. . ." John couldn't make himself finish. 

"The doctor who saw to him says he'll be fine. He's concussed and he had to get some stitches along with the bruises and cuts. He has a broken rib, and at first, he was having trouble breathing enough at an even pace, but he's doing better. They placed him in a medically induced coma. He should be awake in about two days.

"I brought medicine to the room and as soon as I saw him, I came to find you, Laurens. I'm so sorry."

John's eyes were still fixed on his face. Abby was just a voice somewhere in the room. John let out the most steady breath he could. 

"Is there someone I could call?" 

John tried to nod; whether or not he succeeded, he had no idea. "Yeah. Um, yeah. Lafayette, and um, Hercules."

"Okay, I'll get right on it. Will you be okay alone?"

"Y-yes, I think so."

John could vaguely hear footsteps, but they stopped after a few seconds. 

"I'm sorry this happened today, John. I know how much you were looking forward to it."

The footsteps faded away, and John crumpled into the chair next to the bed. He sat in silence, not knowing how long. He finally looked away from the bed when he heard a new voice from the doorway. 

"Oh, merde."

Both Herc and Laf stood in the room, pale and shocked. Hercules kept bus eyes trained on the bed, just as John had, but Lafayette looked to John. 

"Oh, mon ami, you are so pale."

Lafayette looked as if they had just gotten put of bed, which John realized they probably had. They wore sweatpants, a tank top, and no makeup. Laf swiftly moved to John. It wasn't until John felt their strong arms wrap around him that John finally broke down into tears. 

Every ounce of emotion John had felt since walking into the hospital room came out as he bawled into Lafayette's shirt. Hercules came up behind, hugging them both. Silents tears feel down Laf's cheek, and Hercules was holding tears back as well. 

John looked back to the bed. Through his tears, he spoke. "Alex. Oh, god, baby. I'm so sorry, Alexander. I love you. . ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French  
> ~~~~~~~  
> Merde - Shit
> 
> Mon ami - My friend


	4. The First Meeting

John paced the white room, the only sound his footsteps and the rhythmic beeping. John rubbed his hands together, doing nothing to stop the tears welling up in his eyes. John couldn't make himself look up from the shiny tile floor, knowing that if he did, his tears would fall. His breaths were slow and deep; he was trying to calm himself down.

John had no idea how long he’d stood here pacing, or how long he’d been here at all. All he did know was that he had no intention of leaving. He couldn’t. Hundreds of thoughts floated through John’s head, all worse than the one before. John was frozen as one particular, horrible thought crossed his mind. He tried thinking of anything else to get it out, but nothing worked. His breathing became more difficult.

As one hot tear fell from John’s eye and down his face, he slowly forced himself to look up from the floor. It took everything he had to look at that bed, so different from when he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. John had to look at that dreaded hospital bed. He had to reassure himself that he was still there. To make sure that Alexander was still alive.

In the bed lay the beat up figure of his boyfriend. John shook his he as to clear his thoughts. He let out a sigh, angry with himself for even thinking that. Alexander wasn't going to die; John was over exaggerating. He knew he was. He knew that Alex was not going to die anytime soon.

John hadn't even left the room since Abigail brought him here. John walked to the bed, taking Alex's hand and pressing a kiss into his dark hair. Nothing else was going to happen to Alexander. John had hovered around the doctor and spoken to her. Alex was in the care of Dr. Martha Manning. John had known her for years; the pair attended med school together.

Martha had asked him on a date in their first year, not aware of him being gay. The two were now friends, and she allowed John to hover, making sure everything was done correctly. Everything was perfect, like he knew it would be. John wouldn't trust anyone else with Alexander.

Even so, John couldn't help but be paranoid; this was Alexander. John let out a deep breath as he slumped into the chair beside Alexander's bed. He still held Alexander's hand. Glancing to the clock on the other side of the room, he saw that it read 10:17 am.

Hercules and Laf had left about an hour ago to get properly dressed, and to get Lafayette some coffee. John knew that the two should be back soon. Pulling Alexander's hand to meet his face, John kissed it lightly.

"I'm sorry, Alex. But you'll be okay. I promise. You'll wake up and everything will be fine."

"John Laurens, rentrer chez soi," said Lafayette from somewhere behind John.

"You know I don't speak much French."

Placing a hand on John's shoulder, Lafayette spoke again, "I said 'Go home', mon ami. You look exhausted."

John shook his head, then a loud scoff came from Hercules, who had ventured to the other side of the bed. With a stern look on his face, Hercules stared at John.

"Laurens, get your ass out of that chair. Go home. Take a shower. Friggin' eat something, man. You've been here for over 12 hours. You're still in those goddamn scrubs. Hell, you didn't even take off your stethoscope. Ham will still be here when you get back."

"Alexander shouldn't be here at all!" John shot back harshly. Hercules tensed visibly at the tone and volume of John's voice. John cleared his throat, looking to the ground.

"Shit. . ." John said quietly before looking up to Hercules, "Sorry, Herc."

It was a minute of silence before John spoke again. "I'm tired, and I'm stressed as fuck, but I can't. I can't leave. Not today. Not by himself today. It's our anniversary and he's in a fucking coma."

John's voice broke as he spoke. Hercules had never seen him look as sad as he did in that moment. Pursing his lips in annoyance, he shook his head.

"Points for trying, right? Laf said you'd be this stubborn. Here's a bunch of stuff we grabbed from your apartment. Now go change and take a walk. We'll stay with Hamilton, okay?"

A black duffle bag was thrown at John's head harshly. John caught it, however, and stood up. John stalked off into the bathroom attached to the hospital room. He shut the door loudly.

Once John was gone, Hercules walked behind Lafayette, who was one taking Alex's hand in theirs.

"Petit lion, réveille, s'il tu plaît. John needs you. We all do."

Hercules put his arm around Laf, who leaned into the touch immediately. "The doctor said he'd be fine."

"Oui. But that won't stop me worrying," Lafayette glanced to the bathroom. "About both of them."

"Me, too."

After a few moments of silence, Hercules spoke quietly. "Do you remember the last time Alexander got into a fight?"

"Oui. Petit lion had murder in his eyes. I'm surprised all he did was punch him." Both had a small smile on their face.

"What are you guys talking about?" John asked, now dressed in jeans and navy blue sweater.

"Ah, bon, toi regardez comme un personne à nouveau. We were just speaking of when Alexander hit Thomas Jefferson for intruding on your, as you say, 'date night'."

"I don't know if it qualifies as date night if you guys were there."

"Dude, Ham didn't say a word to us all night. Definitely a date night," Herc said, Lafayette nodding in agreement.

"God, that night was a disaster," John said, his lips forming the smallest of smiles. "Alexander really didn't need another reason to hate Jefferson. He deserved that punch. He just showed up and started insulting everyone! Also, having your boyfriend defend your honors is very hot."

John's smile fell as he looked to his unconscious boyfriend. Looking back to his friends, his expression once again grim, John said, "I'm going to find some coffee."

Lafayette looked up to Hercules, who shared the same look of worry.

John relied on muscle memory to bring him where he wanted to go; he was too distracted to actually think about it. He was supposed to be home right now, asleep with Alexander. John didn't see himself getting any sleep until he could look back into his boyfriend's eyes.

It wasn't long before John found himself in the crappy cafeteria of the hospital. He walked across the room to the coffee maker. His mind was blank as he gripped a styrofoam cup and filled it with the hot black liquid. John hated the taste as soon as it entered his mouth, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

Looking down at the coffee- if you could call it that- John knew a smoke formed. He had no idea why bad coffee brought his mind to bad beer; maybe his mind was too focused on Alex. John now found himself thinking of the first time he laid eyes in Alexander Hamilton.

That first conversation in that shitty little bar was only 3 years ago, yet it seemed like a lifetime. John remembered it so, so well. John, Hercules, and Lafayette had been though a long day and stopped at the first place with beer that they saw. None of them expected to have their lives so drastically changed, but that's what happened.

_John sat at their small table of the old, dirty bar, Hercules next to him as they waited for Lafayette to return with more drinks. In front of him sat two empty bottles of Samuel Adams. He was only slightly aware of Hercules telling him something; John attention had been captured elsewhere._

_Two figures made their way through the doors of the bar. One of them was Aaron Burr, a man well known through the city for graduating Princeton in just two years time. He was a tall, quiet man. However it was the man with Burr that caught John's eye._

_The man was younger and shorter than Burr, with dark tan skin, black hair that fell in uneven waves to his shoulders, and a hopeful glint in the deep chocolate pool of his eyes. The man had a determined look in his eyes as be followed around Aaron Burr, almost like a puppy._

_John hadn't even realized the Laf had returned, pushing a pint of beer towards him._

_"John?"_

_"Bro, what are you staring at?"_

_John snapped out of his trance, looking to his friends. "Huh?"_

_"Are you okay, mon ami?"_

_"Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

_Herc snorted as he took a drink of his frothing beer. "Maybe because you're in love with some guy at the bar."_

_John blushed, but tried to look at stern ad possible. "Hercules Mulligan, don't be ridiculous. I don't have any idea who you're talking about._

_"Non?" Lafayette joined in, "So you weren't staring at the man with Aaron Burr?"_

_John coughed to cover up another strike of red flying through his cheeks. At an attempt to change the subject, John asked, "Yo, what time is it?"_

_Taking the last gulp of his beer, Hercules smirked, and he and Laf stood up. Gripping John's arm, Herc said, "Show time."_

_"Wh-" Before John could finished, Lafayette and Hercules had hoisted him up and pushed him in the direction of the bar._

_"No, guys, stop!" Was all John got out before he collided into someone._

_"Shit!"_

_"Oh, fuck, sorry," John said, finding himself staring into the dark eyes of the man. Suddenly, all words left John; the man was even more beautiful up close._

_After a few moments of awkward silence, the other msn spoke. "It's fine. No one got hurt. You might want to watch where you're going, though."_

_"I normally do," John replied through his third blush of five minutes. "I just got, um, pushed."_

_He glanced back to his friends, who watched the interaction with smug smirks on their faces. The man extended his hand to John, who took it._

_"Alexander Hamilton."_

_John smiled as they shook hands, glad to have a name to match the handsome face. Alexander Hamilton. It fit him perfectly. Alexander raised an eyebrow at John._

_"And you are?"_

_"Oh, right, um, sorry. John. I'm John Laurens," he responded, cursing himself for being such a mess._

_"My dear Laurens, introduce us to your friend," Lafayette said, coming up next to John, Herc appearing on the other side. Hercules held out his hand to Alexander, who dropped John's to take it._

_"I am Hercules Mulligan."_

_"Alexander Hamilton," he responded before turning to Laf._

_"Your accent, is it French?"_

_"Oui, mon ami. Je m'appelle Lafayette."_

_"Il est agréable de rencontrer un autre orateur français."_

_"Êtes-vous de la France aussi?"_

_"Non, je suis Caraïbes. Je grandi en parlant français."_

_John didn't speak very much French; he was too distracted by the Alexander's mouth curved up as he spoke, and how his voice sounded of too much honey being poured in hot tea. He couldn't even begin to try and figure what they were trying to say._

_"Come on, Hamilton, how 'bout you join us for a drink," Hercules, slinging his arm over John's shoulders._

_"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to-"_

_"It wouldn't be any trouble," John interrupted. "Please join us."_

_Alexander looked into John's eyes fir a moment before giving a nod, a hint of a smile on his face. Moving out from under Hercules' arm, John lead Alexander Hamilton back to the table, where he had left his third bottle of Sam Adams. Out of the corner of his eye, John could see Hercules and Lafayette giving each other a high five._

John stared into the black liquid, stricken with sadness. He wished he could turn back the clock. John took another sip of the crappy coffee, his face forming into a look of disgust as he did.

With a shaky sigh, he moved away from the coffee maker. He walked back in the direction of Alexander's hospital room. As he entered, Lafayette and Hercules cut off from their conversation, giving each other an odd look. John didn't care enough to bother to ask about it. 

"Hey, John. We called the girls. The Schuylers will be here in a few hours."

John absentmindedly nodded to Lafayette. "Good," he said, sitting back in the chair next to Alex.

"Good," he said again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French  
> ~~~~~~  
> ~Rentrer chez soi - Go home
> 
> ~Mon ami - My friend
> 
> ~Petit lion, réveille, s'il tu plaît - Small lion, wake up, please
> 
> ~Ah, bon, toi regardez comme un personne à nouveau - Oh, good, you look like a person again 
> 
> ~Je m'appelle Lafayette - My name is Lafayette 
> 
> ~Il est agréable de rencontrer un autre orateur français - It is nice to meet another French speaker
> 
> ~Êtes-vous de la France aussi - Are you from France also
> 
> ~Non, je suis Caraïbes. Je grandi en parlant français - No, I am from the Caribbean. I grew up speaking French


	5. The Schuyler Sisters

  When John first met the Schuyler sisters, he wasn't a big fan. He'd heard too many of Alexander's stories about how smart, clever, beautiful, and perfect they were. Elizabeth Schuyler filled the majority of these stories. Eliza and Alexander had dated for about two years, and they broke up 10 months before John and Alex met.

  The two broke up on very good terms and remained close friends. If John had said he wasn't jealous when Alex spoke of Eliza, it would have been the biggest lie he'd ever told. John knew he shouldn't have been jealous; he and Alexander weren't even dating. 

 It was 4 months before they got together that John met Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy. Of course, after meeting them, John loved them all dearly. He now works with Peggy, and is close with all three girls. Even though he couldn't be mad at Eliza, he would still get jealous. At least, he did for two months.

  After two months of their friendship, Eliza began dating a beautiful, sweet, and very flirty girl named Maria Lewis. Alexander and John now began sharing the stories of the smart, clever, beautiful, and perfect girls. 

  John can't ever remember fighting with the Schuylers; most of the time they brought him nothing but happiness. There was of course times when he would be annoyed by Angelica's wit, have spurts of jealousy when Eliza was around, or just not be in a good enough mood to deal with Peggy's sweetness.

  John loved the girls, and Angelica even played a role in he and Alex finally getting together. Lafayette and Hercules had convinced them all to go out to a club for the night. 

_Lafayette was off on the dance floor, twirling Peggy around among the LED lights. Hercules was off to the side somewhere laughing at them. Eliza and Maria sat at the bar, flirting with each other and sipping their drinks._

_Sat across from them, on the opposite side of the bar was John Laurens, drinking in his self pity. From where he was, he had a very clear view of Alexander flirting with Angelica. It appeared that she was flirting back. John and Alexander had been dancing around each other for months now._

_Every time they got close to asking each other out or even a kiss, one of them stopped. John had liked Alexander for so long now. Almost a year. John remembered meeting him at that shitty little bar, and all that time when Alexander was just becoming a presence in their lives. All that time when all John could seem to do was complain about how cute, and smart, and amazing Alex was._

_He still thought all of those things, of course, but he'd learned to be subtle about it all. Now, looking at Angelica and Alex standing on the edge of the dance floor, looking at how the lights swirled through Alex's eyes, and looking at how freaking perfect he looked, John decided he was done. No more awkward conversations, no more interruptions, no more flirting with other people, no more "almost" moments._

_Downing the last of his beer, John stood. He swiftly walked around the bar, passing a kissing Eliza and Maria, and to Angelica and Alexander. He placed his hand on Alexander's arm, turning to Angelica._

_"Could I borrow Alex for a little while?"_

_Both looked slightly surprised by the interruption, but Angelica smiled, stepping away._

_"Thanks, Angelica," John said, pulling Alexander away to a more open, quieter area._

_"John, what is it? Are you-"_

_Alexander was cut off as John gripped the sides of his face and kissed him. Alex gave a small jump and yelp, but was quickly kissing John back with more force. John found himself with one hand in Alex's hair, and Alex found himself with his arms around John's waist._

_John was the first to pull away, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply. Alexander leaned closer to him, resting their foreheads together._

_"Holy fuck," Alexander whispered, and John gave a breathy laugh._

_"That should've happened a long time ago," John said in reply, opening his eyes to look straight into Alexander's. John's hands had moved to hold Alex's neck, and he felt Alexander gripping the sides of his shirt._

_Alex tipped their heads up, kissing him again before simply hugging him. John caught Angelica's eyes as he rested his chin on top of Alex's head. She smiled widely at him before joining Hercules. When Alexander pulled out of the hug, he was smiling wider than John had ever seen. The fact that John was the one to put the smile on his face practically made him melt right then and there._

_"Be my boyfriend?" John said with a smile matching Alexander's. Instead of answering with his words, Alex simply pulled John down, kissing him again._

   It was two years ago exactly that John and Alexander stood in that noisy club. John let out a shaky breath. Hercules and Lafayette stood close together, leaning against the wall. Peggy stood at the foot of the bed, looking more grim than John had ever seen her. 

  Angelica stood at the window, gazing out of it, deep in though. Eliza rested on the arm of the chair, holding John's hand. None of them had spoken much, just simple greetings when the girls first arrived. 

  Alexander had a few more visitors throughout the day. Maria had shown up with Eliza, hugging the boys and kissing Eliza goodbye before going off to work, tears pop long in her eyes. Theodosia Burr, who had been with Angelica when Lafayette called, had stopped by, her 8 month old daughter resting in her arms.

  It had somehow gotten to be late evening, and outside the sun was setting. Since getting back to the room, John hadn't moved from the bedside chair once. His back and neck ached, but he ignored it. John had barely spoken more than a word. He simply felt numb. 

  "John? Let's go home, okay, sweetie?"

  Eliza gently pulled him up, continuing to whisper to John, "Alexander is okay right now. Martha is watching him and he'll have somebody with him all night. Let's get you home."

  John followed her out of the room, too tired to do any differently. He didn't want to leave, but he knew he needed to. Even if he was a doctor in the building, the hospital would just end up kicking him out when visiting hours were over. John hadn't had at sleep for about 36 hours. Eliza guided him through the building, and John realized that Hercules accompanied him as well.

  The three were silent, walking out to the parking lot. They stopped when they reached what John recognized as Lafayette's car. John got in the passenger seat after Eliza kissed him on the cheek as a form of goodbye. Hercules slid into the driver's seat next to him.

  The two drove, John not bothering to ask where. He simply let the hum of the engine, the soft seat, and the gentle music pouring from the speakers finally lull him to sleep.


	6. The Morning After

  John smiled widely, laughing and he spun Alexander around. The music played loudly around them, happiness radiating throughout the room. Alex spun into him, returning to their original dancing position. The room was decorated beautifully.

  Tables draped with a mint green were scattered around the large dance floor. Bright twinkling fairy lights lined in the ceiling in elaborate designs. John and Alexander were pressed against each other, holding tightly to one another's suits. Alex leaned up, giving John a messy kiss. 

  The pair had spent the night in deep happiness, not willing to discuss the events of the previous five days, and partly forgetting it. They had been dancing for at least an hour now, Hercules butting in and stealing John for a slow dance that ended in half the room laughing. Everyone knew that this day would come and were all so happy to see it.

  John pulled Alexander even closer as a new slow song began playing. Alexander wrapped his arms around John's neck, resting his head on his partner's shoulder. John thought back for the speech Eliza had given during dinner. "Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now" she had said. John couldn't agree more as he placed his chin on top of Alexander's head. 

  John had his friend's around him, the love of his life in his arms, and a smile on his face. He felt content, and happy.

\--------------

  John's mouth opened in a long yawn as he woke. He felt a faint smile playing on his lips as he thought of his dream. It was a memory of their friends Aaron Burr and Theodosia Prevost's wedding.  

   Alexander had been one of Aaron's groomsmen. Aaron Burr had been Alex's first friend when he got to New York, and now they worked together at the law firm. Because if that, John had become close with Theodosia. The two bonded over their wonderful boys who never stopped working. They shared late night texts worrying about where Alexander or Aaron was and when they would come home.

  John opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. A ceiling that wasn't his. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The sheets suddenly felt weird against his skin, the pillow was too soft, and the bed was too empty. John sat up, looking around and finding himself in what he recognized to be Hercules' bedroom. 

  Memories of the day before flooded his mind and his heart dropped. Alexander was in the hospital, unconscious and beaten. With a shaky breath, John pushed the blankets away and stood. Looking down at himself, he saw that he still wore the t-shirt from yesterday, but his jeans had been replaced with a pair of sweatpants. Slowly, not fully awake yet, John wandered out of Herc's room and into the familiar hallway.

  Lafayette's bedroom was connected to Hercules' on the same side of the hall, the only bathroom in the apartment across the way. The hall lead directly into the living area, and across was the kitchen. John ventured in that direction, finding Hercules standing at the stove, wearing a "Kiss The Cook" apron, and cooking scrambled eggs. Upon hearing John enter, he turned to him, giving him a small smile. 

  "Hey, how you feeling?" 

  John shrugged, tucking his hands into the sweatpants pockets. "As okay as I can be, I guess. What happened last night?"

  Herc turned, leaning against the counter. "It wasn't until about 10 last night that Eliza convinced you to finally leave. You fell asleep in the car, so I carried you up here. I changed your pants, I figured you wouldn't mind."

  "You didn't bring me home?"

  Herc shook his head, "I didn't think it was the best place for you right how. Everything in that place would just remind you of Alex. You were in a bad enough state anyway."  

  John nodded. "Thanks." 

  Herc just smiled and turned back to the stove. "Don't mention it, dude."

  "Seriously, Herc, thank you so much." 

  Hercules hesitated for a moment, before picking up his spatula. "You hungry?" 

  John smiled, "Nah, I'm good."

  "Well, I know Lafayette will be hungry. I'm gonna go wake them. You can steal some clothes from my room if you want. I'll stop by your place later, grab you some stuff again.

  John took Hercules' spot at the stove, turning off the burner and pulling to pan off of it. Having already learned his way around their kitchen, pulled out two plates and split the eggs evenly between them for Hercules and Lafayette. John walked back to Hercules' room. 

  As he did, he heard quiet talking from Laf's room. 

  "How is he?"

  "Better than expected. He hasn't eaten anything."

  "Do you think we should tell him? Petit Lion, he-"

  "Alexander is supposed to wake up today or tomorrow. It's not our place to tell John."

 John's face formed into a confused glare. While he wanted to hear more, he knew he shouldn't, ducking into Herc's room just before he came out of Lafayette's. John quickly changed into his jeans from the day before and pulled on a t-shirt. It was designed with a faded USA flag. 

  Using a hair tie, John pulled his bushy hair into a tight pony tail as he ventured back to the kitchen. Hercules and Lafayette sat in the kitchen, eating their breakfast. 

  "We can head out as soon as I clean up, okay, John?"

  "Sounds good." 


	7. Doing Better

  John was doing better today. After having heard from Martha and Peggy about what had happened, John's closest friends of the hospital had banded together to make sure John's shift was covered. They had done so after a push from Peggy; she didn't want John to worry about work on top of everything else. John thanked all of them with a hug, the biggest smile he could muster through all of this, and the promise to buy the first round of drinks the next time they went out. 

  It had been 3 hours since arriving at the hospital, putting it at 1 in the afternoon. John wanted to cry every time he looked to his boyfriend's bruises, bandaged shoulder, and sleeping face. He willed himself not to cry, only letting out a few tears when he knew Hercules and Laf wouldn't see. Crying, not talking, and ignoring everyone wasn't going to help Alexander. John still hadn't eaten anything, filling himself with that horrible coffee. He had started talking more today, albeit only to Herc and Lafayette and minimally. He hadn't seen much of anyone else; the Schuylers would not be able to stop in.

  Peggy had said that she would try her hardest; she was the most popular nurse in the cancer ward and therefore the most busy. Eliza had started last year as a kindergarten teacher, then worked at the after-school daycare. Angelica had been a journalist for years, always having something new to work on. Before meeting the girls, John had asked what their professions were. Alexander's response had been, "I. . . Well, actually, I don't know. They probably all own countries because, John, those girls are fucking  _queens._ " 

  A smile creeper onto John's face and he squeezed Alex's hand subconsciously. John studied Alexander's face. Wisps of his long, smooth black hair fell over the sides. John had noticed that it always happened when Alex slept. Even with the purple-yellow mark covering his right eye and littering the side of his face, Alex looked as he always did when he was asleep. He looked relaxed, younger. While awake, a constant look of stess and tension was in Alexander's eyes, which he let seep into the rest of his face.

  When John had first seen Alexander asleep, it was so strange. The look he carried daily, the look that held so many emotions, the determination, the look that was just so  _Alex_ disappeared. 

  John looked up to Alex's eyes, where his eyelids covered the hint of a sparkle that resided in the pool of deepest brown. His eyes moved downward, to the lips he'd kissed so many times. The sound that was so normal to hear come from them was only heard in John's head. It was so unnatural to see Alexander's mouth closed. John let out a sigh.

  Lafayette, who sat across from him on Alex's other side, raised their eyebrow. "John? What is it?"

  John's mouth twitched into a small smile and he gave a small shake of the head. "Nothing, it's nothing."

  "Tell me? S'il tu plaît?"

  With a deep breath, John glanced between their eyes and Alexander's face. "I miss him, Laf."

  "Miss him?"

  John nodded, "Yeah. I mean, he's right here, I'm touching him, but it's not  _him_. I miss his smile, and his voice, and his eyes. I know that I sound ridiculous and I shouldn't be like this, but I can't think back to a day when I didn't hear his voice. Even if it was a shitty phone call during lunch he was forced to take." 

  "I understand, mon ami."

  John smiled, pressing a kiss to the back of his boyfriend's hand. Lafayette stood, stretching. John watched as they pulled their bushy hair into a bun. Today Laf sported light wash, ripped skinny jeans, a purple crop tank top that showed off their muscled abdomen and arms from years of working out, both of which were matched with a light coat of sparkling pink eyeshadow and black winged eyeliner. They had left fairly quickly after breakfast, so John marveled at the fact that Lafayette still managed to look close to perfect.

  As Laf began to sit back in the chair, Hercules walked into Alex's hospital room, holding bags of Chinese takeout. Lafayette almost immediately made grabby hands at the food, and Herc handed it over with a smile John only saw him use while looking at Laf. Hercules then hesitantly looked to John, gripping the bag tightly.

  "I picked some up for you, too, John. Do you want it?"

  John shook his head, "Nah, I'm good."

  "Man, you are literally a doctor. You don't need me telling you that this isn't healthy," Hercules pushed, shoving the bag towards John. 

  "I'm not hungry, Herc."

  "Damnit, John, would you just-"

  "Hercules! I promise I'm fine, okay?"

  He glared at John, his lips pursed, but he dropped the subject, setting the bag of food down next to Lafayette. Not wanting to be the subject of Hercules' nagging, John excused himself from the room, gently planting a kiss on Alexander's forehead, carefully avoiding the bruises.

  "Where are you going?" Lafayette asked.

  "I forgot to call Washington. I should tell him why Alex didn't come into work today."

  It was true that John had forgotten to call in for Alexander, albeit he was currently using it was an excuse to leave the room. Once finding a quiet hallway close to the staff room, John speed-dialed the number of the phone Alex kept on his desk. It was more likely that Alex would answer his work phone than his cell, so if John was calling instead of texting, he went with the work phone. It was common, however, that Alexander wasn't at his own- either in Washington's office or bothering Burr at his- so it would typically be someone else who answered Alexander's phone, knowing that it would be John. 

  They would greet him, it would often be James Madison, who Alex didn't particularly like, but they were polite to each other and didn't often get into fights, and then go on a hunt for Alexander. As always, John was greeted by a different voice, but unfortunately, it was not James Madison on the opposite line.

  "Mr. Laurens, how can I help you today?" came through the phone, said through a thick Virginian accent. 

  "Jefferson," John practically growled into the phone. Thomas Jefferson had started working at Washington Law the same month as Alexander had. He was the most pretentious, obnoxious person that John and Alexander had ever had the misfortune of meeting. Alexander wasn't even sure what Jefferson's job at the company was anymore; he simply stated that Jefferson was a "professional asshole".

  "If you called to talk to Hamilton, he's not here right now. In fact, I haven't seen him all day."

  John could practically hear him smirking through the phone. For months, Jefferson had been claiming that Alexander was cheating on John; he claimed that's why Alex was never home, why it was always someone else to pick up his calls, why Alexander spent so much time with the Schuyler sisters. John and Alex had already been over it, already had that fight, so when Jefferson first suggested it, he might have gone to work the next day with a black eye. If anyone suspected what had happened, well, they didn't say anything. 

  "Jefferson, put Burr on the phone."

  As the sentence finished, in the background of the call, John could hear, "Is that Laurens?"

  After a few muffled sentences, a new voice came through from the line.

  "John?"

  "Aaron, oh, thank god."

  "John, I, uh, I heard what happened to Hamilton. Theo told me. I'm so sorry."

  John looked to the ground, a shaky sigh coming out if his mouth. "Yeah. . . He, um, well. . . I'm calling because of Alex. I need to tell Washington what happened. Can you transfer me?"

  "Of course," said Aaron in his quiet, calm voice, "Are you sure you want to? I can do it, if you'd like." 

  "No, no, it's all right. I can do it."

  There was a beep on the line as Burr put him on hold, then there was silence for around 2 minutes. 

  "John Laurens? What is it, son?"

  John smiled at the sound of Washington's voice. It was strong and calm, and it always had a sort of parental tone that comforted both him and Alex. With no family growing up, Washington had become a sort of father figure fir Alexander. The two had meet when Alex first got to America when he was 17, and taken him in. He had marveled Alexander's brilliance, then cared and loved his personality. 

  "Hello, sir. I, um, I called because, well. . ."

  "Is this about Alexander? I haven't seen him today."

  At the sound of Washington's voice, John felt the tears he'd been holding back throughout the day finally begin flowing. A sob racked through his body harshly, John falling against the wall and bringing his hand up to cover his face. He knew it was ridiculous for him to still be crying; Alexander was fine, and his condition wasn't going to get any worse. This was the man that had been a father to Alex and who had treated John like a son and welcomed him when Alexander introduced them. Something about that broke John.

  "John, son, what is it? What's happened?" Washington said, his voice laced with worry, but keeping the calm, fatherly tone. 

  "A-Alex, he, he's in the hospital. He got beat up on his way home. He-he has a broken rib, a-and-"

  "John, take a deep breath. The details don't matter. Is Alexander all right?" 

  John could hear the worried tone of Washington's voice, but he was pushing it down, focusing on John, trying to calm him. It worked, John breathing more evenly, his crying subsiding. 

  "Yeah, yeah, he's all right. He's, um, in a coma at the moment, but he's alive, and his condition is good." 

  "Good. That's good. And how are you, John? Are you okay?"

  He was silent, not sure what to say. "I. . I'm, um. . . I don't know. I don't know what to do, and I can't. . ." he stopped, not knowing what else to say.

  "It's okay, son. Are you alone at the hospital?"

  "Um, no. No, I have Lafayette and Hercules with me."

  He heard Washington let out a sigh. "Good. Take care of yourself, John. That's the most you can do right now. I'll stop by the hospital as soon as I can."

  "Sir, you don't have to-"

  "I'll be there as soon as I can," Washington repeated. 

  John nodded, even though Washington couldn't see him. "Yes, sir." 

  With brief goodbyes, John hung up the phone. Leaning against the wall still, John stayed in the hallway for a few more minutes. Using his hands, he rubbed his eyes to clear them of leftover tears. He pushed himself fully upright, slowing his walk back to Alexander's room. Lafayette gave him a worried frown as he walked in. 

  "John? Have you been crying? Qu'est-ce qui est arrivè?"

  John waved them off, saying, "I'm fine. Washington says he's going to stop by after work."

  Lafayette seemed to accept John's answer. Herc, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to repeat the question, but instead picked up the bag of takeout from the floor. 

  "I know you said you weren't hungry, but we saved yours-"

  "I'll take it," John said, cutting off Hercules, who looked to him in shock.

  "Really?"

  John nodded, thinking back to his conversation with Washington. He had asked John to take care of himself. It was the final push he needed. Hercules handed him the bag, still in shock as he sat in a chair next to Laf. They had stolen it from the empty room across the hall so they'd all have a place to sit. John sat back in his chair next to Alexander. 

  The three fell into a comfortable silence, Lafayette eventually falling asleep with their head on Hercules shoulder. If John noticed him blushing, he didn't say anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> S'il tu plaît - please
> 
> Qu'est-ce qui est arrivè? - What happened?


End file.
